Cricket-Australia's Konstas renews focus in bid to keep Ashes hopes alive
SYDNEY (Reuters) -Teenager Sam Konstas is looking to bury the memory of his West Indies disappointment and batter down the door to the Australia team for the upcoming Ashes series with a torrent of runs in all formats over the next couple of months.
The 19-year-old opener scored 50 runs at an average of 8.33 as Australia swept their hosts 3-0 in the Caribbean in June and July, but Konstas said it was a great learning experience and still thinks he could fill the void left in the test side by the retirement of David Warner.
"I feel like every cricketer is going to go through that. You're going to have your ups and downs," he told Sydney's Daily Telegraph.
'One of the Aussie boys was saying even the best players in the world fail 70 per cent and perform 30 per cent of the time. I feel like it's just a great learning to have and I feel like I'll become a better cricketer experiencing that.'
After Konstas scored a spectacular 60 against India on debut at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Boxing Day last year, his test outings have largely been on the down side of the ledger.
He has dumped social media in a bid to remain as focused as possible on resurrecting his fortunes initially in two four-day matches in India with Australia A in September, and then in the Sheffield Shield with New South Wales.
"I think the first few games will be big, but for me, it's just trying to nail my process and don't get too fixated about that," Konstas added.
'I'm just trying to be in the present moment and score runs in whatever format I play. If I tick that off, then let the selectors make their choice.'
Konstas said he had received plenty of good advice from Australia skipper Pat Cummins on dealing with pressures of playing test cricket and from veteran Steve Smith on the batting side of the game.
'I feel like as long as I prepare as well as possible, I tick all the boxes … and then just let my reactions do the talking. Just try and keep it simple, see ball hit ball,' he said.
'If it's in my zone, be attacking. Hopefully, understanding game situations better. Little things like that. But for me, it's just the way I prepare and the way I want to go about things and just having that clarity and freedom to do what I do.'
Australia begin their defence of the Ashes in the first of five tests against England in Perth from November 21 to 25.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
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